House Fire Leaves 2 Critical, Injures 2 Officers In Burlington Co.

BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ — A house fire put two people in critical condition and injured two police officers on Wednesday in Burlington Township, officials said.

A 90-year-old woman and an 89-year-old man who both live at the Laclede Drive home were flown to Temple University Burn Center in Philadelphia. They are listed in critical condition, police said around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

A neighbor witnessed the fire and ran into the burning home, where he rescued the man.

"I started hollering his name, 'Algae, Algae,'" the neighbor, Albert Oliver, told CBS News Philadelphia. "The smoke was too thick to where I couldn't breathe, so I had to come back out. And when I went back in, he emerged from the kitchen. Coming from the kitchen, that's when I grabbed him."

Shortly after, police and firefighters rescued the woman. Both residents were the only people inside when the fire was burning, police said.

Two police officers sustained minor injuries. They were treated at a local hospital and later released.

Emergency crews extinguished the fire. The cause remains under investigation.

Anyone with information on this incident can contact Burlington Township Police Det. John Arent at 609-239-5868.